Sonic: Top Speed--Part 2: Rescuing Tails
by R.M. Hunter
Summary: After Eggman destroyed his reputation, friendship, and past, Sonic forms an unlikely alliance and races against time to save Tails from becoming an interstellar criminal.
1. Chapter 1: E-29000

**Hello readers! Thank you so much for checking out the second part of Sonic: Top Speed. If you've not read the first part, ****_Hanging with Thieves_****, I strongly suggest that you do so before reading ****_Rescuing Tails_****.**

**The events in ****_Rescuing Tails_**** take place a week after the first part. As always, if you like this book at all or see something that needs to be improved, or if you have any suggestions for me, let me know in the reviews! I hope you enjoy the story.**

**R. M. Hunter**

* * *

><p>Dr. Eggman strode into the chamber where Sonic was seated. For a week now he had been nearly starving Sonic and placing him in the worst conditions, sometimes giving the Excruciator a zap for no reason, all for the fun of making a mockery out of his once worthy foe.<p>

But today, Eggman had different plans for the blue hedgehog.

"Morning, Sonic. How are you doing this fine day? Pepped up as usual, I see. Would you like some warm milk?" he asked sarcastically.

Sonic didn't look up as Eggman laughed at his own joke. Eggman stopped laughing and squinted.

"Hmm. You don't seem very excited. That's too bad. I have so much fun planned for you today!"

"What do you want, Eggman?" Sonic asked, annoyed.

"Ah, glad you asked! Hmm… what do I want? Aha! I know. Right now, I want you to come out here and see a display of power! I've finally retrieved SONIK and this is the day that I destroy him, the only evidence that anyone could possibly use against me! Then, after that, it'll be your turn!"

Eggman's hollow laughter filled Sonic's ears.

* * *

><p>At the same time, somewhere out in deep space, Tails was tinkering at the back of a spacecraft. But he wasn't paying attention to what he was doing. He was thinking to himself. He had finally come to make the decision that would change his life forever.<p>

He would join Firetail Taragon and Volt Gage to become a member of The Krait.

* * *

><p>"And here we are!" Eggman proclaimed. Sonic looked up and watched as Eggman dragged SONIK, an Excruciator on his head. He thrust SONIK into the same cell, turned him on, and slammed the door. "Don't get too chummy!" He laughed as he walked off.<p>

SONIK glared at Sonic, who returned the cold stare.

"What an honor, meeting the real Sonic," SONIK jeered.

"Yeah, well, I'm less than glad to meet my clone."

"SONIK's the name, or officially E-29000. You could call me E2. But so what? I'm just a robot."

"What are you in for?" Sonic asked.

"Doing a good job," E2 retorted. "I follow his commands perfectly and still I'm gonna be blasted."

Sonic cocked his head. "Wait, you mean that you're not under his control right now?"

"Nope," E2 answered. "I'm what you could call a sentient AI, or intelligent artificial intelligence. I was programmed to be just like you, except that I would take my orders from Eggman. He didn't program me to be evil."

"So now you're too dangerous to keep around, because you could turn against him," Sonic concluded.

"Yup. And 'cause I'm the only evidence in your favor."

"So did you cram that Chaos Emerald into the capsule?"

"I did. Eggman overlooked something. I'm a machine, but I'm programmed to feel pain. If I get hurt, it messes with the telemetry system and get free for a little while."

"Well, we've gotta get out of here."

"Fat chance. Have you seen their security?"

"No."

"Not even you could get out. You'd need someone to help from the outside."


	2. Chapter 2: Escape

Eggman returned shortly to the two hedgehogs sitting in the cell. "Sorry for the delay, a certain nemesis of mine had smashed one of my controls recently," he growled, giving Sonic's Excruciator a zap. He opened the door.

"On your feet. You two are coming with me."

Wanting to resist but having no choice because of the Excruciators, Sonic and E2 were forced into a long, dark hall. E2 was placed on a pedestal first, with a huge laser gun pointed at him. He shuddered as Eggman charged it up.

Sonic eyed Eggman, who had his back turned. Inching closer and closer to the gun, he managed to unlock the swivel turret and turn it just an inch or two. E2 would be damaged, but not destroyed entirely, Sonic thought as he moved back to where he was.

"Ready!" Eggman said. "Now, Sonic, watch this!"

With a loud whoop Eggman slammed his fist on the FIRE button. The laser gun glowed and fired, and E2 prepared for the blast that ripped his body to pieces. A silent scream escaped his lips as his miles of delicate circuitry were torn apart. When the dust settled, he was nothing but a pile of junk.

Eggman had one of his robot slaves move the pile of junk and set Sonic onto the pedestal.

"Now, for you, Sonic, I've devised a much more elaborate death!" Eggman chortled. He zapped the Excruciator and Sonic let out a scream. The electric wave knocked him to the ground.

A machine removed the Excruciator and replaced it with another device. To prevent Sonic from escaping, metal clamps were secured on his body and limbs.

"This device is special. It's my first small-scale prototype! It drains energy from living beings! And you, Sonic, are to be my first test subject!"

Eggman jammed a lever down hard and the machine started up. Sonic began to feel weak. Eggman grinned evilly as Sonic grew weaker by the second.

"Are you beginning to feel the effects of my brain-drain machine?" he taunted.

Sonic's legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground, nearly blacking out. This was the end…

But suddenly, the machine stopped. Eggman had stopped the machine!

"Oh, you thought that was it, didn't you?" Eggman chided. "No, I planned a much more painful death for you, my foolish blue friend!"

The lights turned on and Sonic saw the biggest display of weaponry he had ever seen. It was all there: sawblades, drills, bombs, machine guns, lasers, knives, claws, everything! And they were all trained on him.

"When this machine gets going, you're going to wish that you had never messed with the great Dr. Robotnik! No more tricks now, eh? Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho!" Eggman's evil laughter echoed through the base.

But Sonic had one more trick up his sleeve. The oldest trick in the world.

"Let the games begin!"

Eggman started up his robot, and everything began moving. The blades spun ferociously, the machine guns cocked, the bombs slid into their launchers. And at the same time, Eggman switched on some loud rock music to strike the mood.

"Perfect!" He sat down and leaned back in his chair, as though watching a movie. "Let's get this show on the road!"

Just before he hit the STRIKE button, he cast one last glance at his adversary…

_Who had blacked out completely._

He gasped and took his finger off the button. "Oh no, we can't have him black out! That takes all the fun out of it!"

Sonic smiled inside as he felt the energy machine return. Slowly he felt his strength return. Eggman didn't see this one coming.

"There! Now, wake up Sonic!" He gave him a vicious kick in the guts. Sonic's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Eggman resumed his position and grinned, placing his finger on the button.

"Goodbye, old friend!"

The sound of the button clicking was the loudest in the entire room.

Instantly Sonic was on his feet and just barely dodged a spinning sawblade. Dodging the machine gun and laser fire, he ran quickly around the robot and headed out a different passage.

"No! Wait! Stop him! Security! All systems go!" Eggman bellowed.

Sonic skidded to a halt as multitudes of security turrets appeared in front of him, along with a large bomber robot above him.

"Fire!"

Sonic leaped up, dodging the first volley of shots, and slammed into the first turret. The next two waves of shots nearly hit him and he knew that he wouldn't be able to take all of them out.

"Get him!" Eggman shrieked. A huge hammer started to swing, but Sonic was too fast. Hopping up on top of the hammer, he leaped and flew directly into a small hole; the waste disposal chute. Just as he cleared the chute, laser fire destroyed it.

"Quickly! Engage the pulverizers! He won't get out of that in time!" Eggman shouted.

Sonic rolled out of the passage and found himself sitting in a pile of junk. What a stroke of luck! he thought.

"E2! E2, where are you?!" he shouted, hoping for a reply.

"Over here!" Sonic heard his own voice say. He leaped up over a pile of trash, dodged a masher plate, and found the pile where the voice came from. He dug frantically in the junk as the conveyor started moving him towards the mashers.

"Right here!" E2 shouted. Sonic picked up a small audio unit connected to a microprocessor. "Yes! That's me! What are you waiting for? Get going!"

Sonic dashed just in time to dodge one of the pulverizer plates. Climbing up the metal tubing, he found his way to the docking bay.

"Grab an escape pod and get out!" E2 said.

Sonic found the escape pods just as the security bots found him. Leaping and ducking he made his way to the pod controls and jammed the LAUNCH switch down hard.


End file.
